Ratatouille

A former Pixar animator and Oakland father has launched a crowdfunding effort to raise money to produce “The Book of Mojo,” an animated short about the adventures of a 13-year-old girl in the near future.

Everett Downing’s short will be based on his self-published fantasy webcomic. Set in an urban landscape, the story follows Lucy, a runaway from the foster care system who trying to re-uinte with her father with the help of Mojo, an enchanted 7-foot-tall statute.

A situation with one of his two daughters inspired Downing to create a fantasy world full of magic and a diverse cast of characters, according to a press release.

His bright and confident daughter came home one day from kindergarten, no longer wanting to play with her multicultural dolls, lamenting she wasn’t beautiful and longing for “blonde skin and white hair.”

Downing grabbed his sketched pad and got to work. As a story artist and animator, Downing has worked at Pixar, Blue Sky and Dreamworks and his work can be seen in such classics as “Ratatouille,” “Up,” “Toy Story 3,” “Brave,” and “Ice Age 1 and 2.”

“In my 15 year career at Pixar, Blue Sky and Dream Works, I observed and learned from the mavericks in the industry,” Downing says.

Could it be that a Mojo franchise in in Downing’s future? Possibly. The aspiring director said he just wanted to tell a great story “where the characters in it reflect the population of the world.”

As of Friday afternoon, “Mojo’s” crowdfunding site on IndieGogo has raised $9,614 towards a $40,000 goal.